16-year-old who organised charity rugby tournament raises £1,200

Simeon Greenaway-Robbins (right) has raised more than £1,200 for Diabetes UK Cymru. Image from Instagram diabetes_in_rugby15

A 16-year-old rugby player from Caerphilly has raised more than £1,200 for Diabetes UK Cymru after organising a charity rugby tournament.

Simeon Greenaway-Robbins was diagnosed with Type One Diabetes in April 2017.

He organised the fundraising event with his teammates at Caerphilly RFC.

Simeon said: “I wanted to organise a fun rugby event to support Diabetes UK Cymru because they do amazing work for people with diabetes just like me.

“Lots of my friends helped. My uncle even stepped in as referee. We made our own teams for the tournament. Some were experienced players and others had never touched a ball but everyone had a great time. I am amazed by how much we raised and I am hoping to do another event next year.”

Type One Diabetes is a lifelong condition that affects around 20,000 people in Wales. People with the condition don’t produce the hormone insulin, which is responsible for controlling the amount of glucose in the blood. Its cause is unknown and it isn’t currently curable.

Simeon said: “I didn’t know much about Type One Diabetes at first. I had been drinking loads of water, going to the toilet a lot, losing weight and was very tired so I went to my doctor. They did a finger prick test to check my blood glucose levels straight away and sent me directly to the hospital, where I was diagnosed with Type-one.”

Simeon started playing rugby in 2015, when he moved back from Canada to Wales.

He added: “I started training with Caerphilly RFC and I absolutely love it – it’s my biggest passion. When I was diagnosed I was scared that I might not be able to play rugby anymore. But now I want to show everyone that Type One Diabetes will not stop me from following my dream of playing rugby and eventually becoming a professional referee.

Diabetes UK Cymru Fundraising Manager Joseph Cuff said: “We’re very grateful to Simeon for organising his rugby fundraiser, helping us to raise funds and awareness that will help others living with diabetes in Wales, and their families.

“It’s inspiring to see someone so young and proactive making such a great effort to raise awareness of Type One Diabetes.”